And yet, it’s perfectly safe for Peter Chiarelli to listen to Edmonton sports talk radio, if he so desires. He can also shop for his own groceries or have lunch in broad daylight at any downtown restaurant.

The Oilers are 7-2 through October and he’s gold.

Sure, they lost an inspiring goalie duel to Craig Anderson and the Ottawa Senators by a 2-0 count on Sunday at Rogers Place. Anderson returned to the Sens’ crease after spending time at home with wife Nicholle, who was recently diagnosed with cancer.

Anderson was very good indeed under trying circumstances, full value for the 37-save shutout win.

But the Oilers are still the top team in the Western Conference, and Chiarelli is no longer the Edmonton general manager who traded away the team’s first line left winger for some Larsson guy that many Oiler fans wouldn’t know from Adam.

Instead, he’s the general manager who in 2015 traded three draft picks to the New York Rangers for Cam Talbot, not then a starting goalie. He’s the general manager who last spring extended the contract of Talbot, by then a pretty good starting goalie, and someone who is now very good indeed, and came into Sunday’s tilt sporting a 2.37 GAA, .934 save percentage, seven wins and two shutouts. Anderson was one save better than Talbot on Sunday. That’s the way it goes some days.

Chiarelli is also the general manager who inked free agent left winger Milan Lucic for more term and money than most Oiler fans thought prudent, but Lucic has changed the culture here. He’s a vocal leader, an intimidating physical presence and consistent offensive complement to Connor McDavid on the Oilers’ top line. That is, until head coach Todd McLellan unpacks the blender, as he was forced to do Sunday with his team in need of a jolt down the stretch.

And yes, Chiarelli is the general manager who took the job just five days after the Oilers beat seriously long odds and had the incredible good fortune to see McDavid fall into their laps at the NHL draft lottery. That is hardly insignificant.

But Chiarelli is also the general manager who put veteran NHL defenceman Kris Russell’s name on a contract to solidify the second pairing with Andrej Sekera, another free agent signing that looks better today than it did last year because of the depth that Chiarelli is quietly building on the back end.

And if you want to include last year’s additions of hulking wingers Patrick Maroon and Zack Kassian, it’s a slightly more impressive, and quite a bit larger, body of work.

So sure, Chiarelli traded Hall to New Jersey. For a top-pairing, right-shooting defenceman who plays 20 minutes every night.

It was a deal that rocked the team’s fan base to its rabid core.

Was. There isn’t a lot of moaning around town these days.

Because the list of people most responsible for that sterling 7-2 Oiler record would have to include Larsson. He and fellow Swede Oscar Klefbom didn’t have the greatest night together against the Senators — both were guilty of focusing on the puck-carrier and allowing Mike Hoffman to hammer home the winning goal from in close.

But they have been a stabilizing force, and their presence here made the defensive depth chart suddenly make more sense.

Larsson’s game is steady and gritty.

“He plays very physical. He’s very, very strong in our end but can still create some offence,” said Klefbom. “I see him as a really good two-way defender.”

Larsson doesn’t panic, but he doesn’t dominate. He plays a smart, efficient game that will most likely make him an NHLer for another decade. He regularly takes on the other team’s top lines, and enjoys it. And generally fares pretty well.

“It’s been a lot of fun. Some days are easier than others,” said Larsson. “Obviously, playing against the top lines is always a challenge but it’s a lot of fun too. They can make you look pretty dumb if you’re not on your toes, so you have to be ready every game and every shift. They don’t need much, those top lines in this league, so it’s a fun challenge, but tough.”

Said Klefbom: “It’s a big responsibility but I think we’ve been doing really good. I’m really happy with the way we’re playing, the whole team.”

There is much for the Oilers to be happy about as they flip the calendar. Sunday’s result just wasn’t one of them.

But they’re bigger, deeper and still skilled and fast enough to compete with most National Hockey League teams on most nights. That’s surely the kind of lineup Chiarelli envisioned when he arrived here in the spring of 2015.

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